Tick Tock Goes The Clock
by supremerulerofthecats
Summary: The Tell Tale Heart. Exerpt of the trial of the main character guy that I had to do for school. Only posting this to do beta reading. Might edit later.


The curtains open to show a courtroom filled with white, of age men chattering quietly. The jury, Ralph Torrington, a twenty-eight year old baker, Alabastor Montgomery, a forty-eight year old doctor, Gabriel Riechmen, a nineteen year old former newsboy, and Samuel Scott, a thirty-three year old accountant, are seated on stage right.

A light follows the Bailiff as he walks towards center stage.

Bailiff: All rise.

Everyone stands except for the accused, a forty-seven year old man named Gregory Templeton. He is in a white straight jacket and is shaking with his eyes wide open, flitting all over the room. He is pulled up by the defendant's lawyer, forty year old Augustus Weathers.

Judge George Gimsey walks in and sits at the stand.

Judge: Please be seated you may now call your first witness to the stand.

Augustus: Yes, your honor. I would like to call the neighbor, John Corey, to the stand.

John walks to the stand from stage left.

Bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

John: Yes, sir.

Augustus: What were you doing the night you heard the old man's scream from his home?

John: I was sleeping as any normal man would be at 2:16 in the morning, when a low scream woke me up. I kept listening to see if anything else would happen and about an hour later, I heard a loud thump from the house and then I called the police and told them what I had heard.

Augustus: What was…..

Augustus is cut off by Gregory laughing and seizing. It should take about seven seconds to get the scene going again.

Augustus turns back to John.

Augustus: What was your prior knowledge of the old man?

John: Not much, I'm afraid. I had just moved there a few fortnights before.

Augustus: Did you know that the accused was the old man's caretaker?

John: I did not. I had assumed they were father and son. They looked somewhat alike in certain ways.

Augustus nods.

Augustus: I have no further questions for the witness, your honor.

Judge: Very well. You may call the next witness.

Augustus nods again.

Augustus: I would like to call James Todd, one of the first officers on the scene to the stand.

James walks on from from stage right.

Bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

James: I do, sir.

The bailiff nods and walks back.

Augustus: What were your initial thoughts about this case?

James: I thought maybe the old man had had a nightmare or something and…..

Once again, we are cut off by Gregory's psychotic laugh filled with malice and humor.

Augustus: May I call for a brief recess, your honor?

Judge: Permission granted. We will reconvene after 15 minutes.

Curtains close. Stage is reset for an outside scene. Audience can hear Gregory continue to laugh.

Curtains open. The focus is on Gregory, who has not stopped and is now almost violently sobbing in amusement.

Gregory, whispering, progressively getting louder: I can hear it, I can hear it! Can you hear it? I know you can! You are but mocking me! You fools!

He thrashes in the jacket, trying and failing to break free.

The curtain closes to reset up the courtroom.

Curtains open.

James is back at the stand.

Augustus: What made you begin to feel suspicion when you were first at the scene?

James: When Gregory took us to the old man's room with chairs and set ours down regularly, but paused and looked around before placing his. After a while, something seemed to be bothering him. He got up and began pacing the floors. He did this for a while before suddenly screaming at me and my fellow officers that he had done it. Then he proceeded to throw his chair and shout about the old man's dismembered body hidden under the boards beneath his chair.

Augustus: I have no further questions for the witness.

Judge, to James: You are dismissed. You may call the next witness to the stand.

Augustus: I have no further witnesses to be questioned.

Judge nods.

Judge: Jury. It is time for you to make your decision.

Curtains close.

Curtains open to the jury sitting at a round table.

Alabastor: He is clearly, mentally ill and needs medical attention, but I do not believe that he is innocent.

Samuel: I agree. I may not know much about this area of life, but that man ain't right in the brain.

Gabriel: I think we should say not guilty for head problems and sentence him for life in an asylum.

Zachariah: That's the smartest thing I've ever heard a street rat say.

Gabriel glares at him.

Samuel: Ralph, you haven't said nothin' the whole time. Watchu think?

Ralph: I don't care. I don't want to be here. Not for medical. Lock 'im up. Whatever.

Alabastor: Fine. Have we come to an agreement?

The jury looks around at each other and nods.

Samuel: Okay, boys. Let's go.

Curtain closes.

Set up for courtroom.

Curtain opens.

Everyone is in their normal positions, waiting for the verdict.

The jury and the bailiff walk in from stage right. The bailiff tells the judge the jury's decision. The judge nods.

Judge: The jury has agreed on a verdict. The accused was found not guilty for mental illness and shall spend the rest of his life in an asylum just off of Long Island.

The judge bangs the gavel on its plate.

Judge: Court session, adjourned

Curtains close.


End file.
